Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A walking analogy opens this 33-minute seminar: just as a traveler staring only at the ground cannot find the way, a practitioner without discriminating wisdom cannot progress. Geshe Pema Tsering then turns to the session’s central doctrinal question — did Śākyamūni attain enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, or was he already a Buddha when he arrived there? Geshe-la walks students through competing scholarly views, including a reference to the Illuminating Lamp, before settling on the accepted position: the historical Buddha was already fully enlightened and merely displayed the appearance of attaining enlightenment so sentient beings would have a model to follow. He explains the doctrinal basis — the enjoyment body, which constitutes full Buddhahood, can only be achieved in the pure realm of Akanishtha, not in the ordinary desire realm. Suited to students already working through the Grounds and Paths curriculum.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 2005 11 24 G and P (2).mp3
UUID: 4a7978d8-8774-4029-aacc-9132bb0cd2d1
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Grounds & Paths (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-11-24
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 33.4 minutes
Words: ~1,201
Well, Geshe-la saying that, well, we have because we have to know we have to know exactly everything exactly everything that what is, what is not. We have to be able to distinguish, discriminate everything very well in order to to develop our wisdom, our intelligence. Pardon? No, the text states the position. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. This is saying that the reason why there is all these arguments or just debating, I use the word debating here. We we think so. I would just debate this is because we in order to be able to to develop the discrimination in our intelligence.
I forgot the beginning. So so I say, now we have a very little wisdom or intelligence. And then so then we are not able to to accomplish many things. But now if if we if if we develop this this intelligence and this reason, then we’re able to accomplish much more. And it’s just like he’s saying as as if we are going as if So then it’s just like it’s like it’s just like while you’re walking on a path.
And if you’re just looking at the path, only at the path, then you you will not know where you’re going to end up. You will not arrive not be able to arrive destination. We have to look around other references, and then you will know your way and then you will know your way around. No. No.
He was not no. He got enlightened in Akanishtha heaven. He just No. No. No.
This this is what is being refuted, actually. That’s that’s the the the view that was being refuted. He was already enlightened. The Buddha was already enlightened when he came here. When he went to the Bodhi tree, he was already enlightened.
That what what they are saying is that the other view that he when he went to the Bodhi tree and they took him to Akanishtha heaven is a wrong view. That he was enlightened. He was just showing us how to get enlightened. He was just there was just an emanation of him. That that’s the view that is accepted.
What the the other view that Yeah. The the the the Bodhi tree. Yeah. What is in the text? So okay.
We’re gonna get this is not going to conclude the debate. Right? So you’re saying that these different authors, okay, different scholars. This scholar, he said that Śākyamūni was under the Bodhi tree and then the Buddha came and took him to the Heaven and he got the empowerment and achieved the concentration, and so forth there. So this was the way that it happened.
And this this is called the he says that this we should accept it to be such, but So then but then in the Illuminating Lamp in this other text, it says that besides being assisted by the Buddhas while he was sitting in front of the Bodhi tree or under the Bodhi tree. The rest, whether it is whether it was Akanishtha or in the desire realm, it is not clearly stated. That doesn’t conclude the question, does it? So how do how do you say this? Yes, he says, then so I put your question, right?
So he doesn’t know he was being helped. He said, no. He he was already enlightened. He he’s a Buddha. He was a Buddha already.
He knows everything. He was just showing again, he was just it was just an emanation. He was just showing. We have to sit there and wait for you to smile, that’s what we keep in the. This is getting complicated.
Okay. Go. Let’s go. Should I? Yeah.
So yeah. No. We do not have to sit there and wait for that. Yeah. No.
It’s well, yeah, that’s what he showed. But then Geshe-la went into he started to say that this is Cittamātra, what’s the Cittamātra view? So then the Vaibhāṣika is the great exposition school, isn’t it? Vaibhāṣika, the great exposition school. It’s one of those Hīnayāna schools.
This is that this has to do with being common So this is the common the shared view. No. It’s a shared approach. This is also shared with the Hīnayāna schools, but there is this uncommon or exclusive view of the which goes into explain that he was at he the the details of his enlightenment, but he was actually attaining. Okay.
Pardon? Yeah. Yes? Yes. How how did he do that?
Yes. Yes. He got enlightened in Akanishtha heaven. Only as as as have only having the basis a basis of Akanishtha heaven, which is a body But but but but in Akanishtha heaven. So as as an ordinary being The human The human body.
Okay. What was the final okay, I can do that. Well, he doesn’t he says, we do not know. We cannot know. So many lives.
But it was it was that life when he was on the last where he got the the what was it in English? So it’s the moment of the path of preparation before getting into the path of seeing. But that was the last life as an ordinary human being that he had. That we don’t know when that was. We don’t know when it was I understand.
I understand. But what difference does it make? I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’m not sure.
What difference does it make? So again, I’m saying that, well, enlightenment is attained, it has to be attained, it’s not attained in the desire realm. It has to be attained in Akanishtha heaven. But the Buddha came here and showed all these aspects and performed all those deeds with the sole purpose with the purpose of, how do say? Gee.
I’m not good today. Teaching us, teaching the path to liberation and then so we can remember that. And yes, that was the answer, yes. So yes, like Nela just said now. So he manifested the he showed the aspect.
He showed us how to get enlightened in in under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. And doing that, all of us, all sentient beings, think, oh, that there is a Buddha who was enlightened in in Bodh Gaya. Yes. Well, I guess So again, Geshe-la said, yes, this this he was already fully enlightened. You cannot get enlightened in in in here, in in this realm, the desire realm.
And because because he showed that aspect there in Bodh Gaya, and because of that people think of the Buddha being enlightened in Bodh Gaya, getting attaining enlightenment in Bodh Gaya. Bodh Gaya. Bodh Gaya. So what can I say that is that you need you need to attain enlightenment, you need the enjoyment body, and that you can only attain in Akanishtha heaven? And, yeah, and the other bodies, they come together with them.
Here, you don’t have enjoyment bodies. Those. So then this this Akanishtha pure realm is around that it has no afflictions and so forth. And then so then you can only find it there. Okay?
Who’s the man? Do you understand? Yeah. Okay? Okay.
Where did we stop?